Gift card – additional cash or an unusual benefit?

Already from mid-November, shopping malls have been lighting Christmas lights and Michael Buble’s hits bring us to the atmosphere of fragrant gingerbread evenings spent with the family. On each side, they tempt us with offers of what can be found under the Christmas tree. Perfumes, cosmetics, books, electronics, jewelry, sweets … all this, of course, at a promotional price and nicely packed, so diverse that we really only ask one question – what to choose? We are faced with this dilemma in the context of the difficult choice of gifts for relatives, but also by choosing gifts for employees.

Gift card – will it be a good gift for employees?

A joint gala dinner, chocolate Santa Clauses and a large Christmas tree in the conference room are not all that companies do to make  a pleasant atmosphere at work during the Christmas season. Appreciating the employee at the end of the year and noticing their increased needs during the holiday season are extremely important. During this time, employers often shorten working hours and offer employees additional support in buying gifts – the ability to order shipments to the company’s address, and often even extra cash, for which the employee will finance at least some Christmas shopping. Is a gift card or gift voucher a good solution in this case? What will best meet the needs of employees during this exceptional period?

A gift card or cash?

Giving cash as a Christmas gift for employees, we will certainly gain in their eyes – additional financial resources are always well perceived and will be appreciated. Unfortunately, this effect does not last long! Cash for the same bank account as pay, in most cases will be simply used for current purchases. Immediately after its release, the employee will forget that it was a gift from the company. The same applies to a gift card. It is true that it restricts employees to use it in specific stores, but often its use ends up buying anything, just so that the received money is not lost. Even if the employee pays Christmas gifts with the card, they still have the problem of choosing the right gift.

Both ideas – although they are not bad – unfortunately do not leave a permanent mark on employees’ memories. They may, however, give rise to a number of claims and questions about further bonuses, because the money spent is no longer of such a high value as those just received. So what can we offer employees to remember for many months? What to give them, so that the joy of the gift lasts longer than the payment by gift card at the store’s cash register?

Experiences – a gift that is difficult to forget!

Emotions, impressions and fun – positive experiences that make us feel rested and relaxed. They give the employee not only a lot of joy, but also cause that for a long time they will remember the employer and the received Christmas presents! Maybe they will like a winter skiing trip with the whole family or a romantic stay in a SPA with the significant other? Maybe they will want to spend the weekend in one of the Polish cities and enjoy the December atmosphere at the Christmas market? Or maybe the perfect gift will be a concert of a favorite star or an evening spent in the philharmonic? It’s worth collecting positive impressions, memories and experiences instead of more dust catchers and never-read books!

How to present experiences to your employees?

In the MyBenefit Cafeteria, the number of benefits that employees will remember for a long time is increasing. To transfer funds for Christmas bonuses will inspire employees to do something for themselves and their own relaxation. In the Cafeteria they will be able to find interesting attractions also for their relatives and take their family to an amusement park or a theater performance. Does not it seem more valuable than another toy that will be thrown into the corner just a few days after Christmas? Each of us agrees that spending time with family in an atmosphere of fun is the best possible gift!

Giving the employee a gift card we do not have such a possibility – we will not provide him with emotions, experiences and time with relatives. We will contribute to the already common consumerism and subsequent frivolous purchases. Using the MyBenefit Cafeteria is a series of inspirations for every occasion and hints on what to do to spend the holiday time in the best possible way. The purchase of gifts does not even require leaving your home – all benefits are available online, 24 hours a day – and the employee chooses which of them will give him or her the greatest joy!